By all accounts, her relationship with Sam was the happiest time in Belle’s life, but it would end in tragedy. After escaping conviction on another charge of horse theft, Belle was aghast to learn that Sam had almost been killed in an altercation with his enemy, Officer Frank West. Sam’s horse was killed, and another bullet narrowly grazed Sam’s head. On December 17, 1886, Sam found out that West was outside a neighbor’s house where he and Belle were dancing. He went outside to confront West, and in the ensuing shootout, both men died.
Belle was devastated and apparently began a brief relationship with an outlaw named Jack Spaniard until he went on the run after murdering a U.S. Marshal. One of Tom Starr’s adopted sons, Bill July, married Belle moved in with her. She decided that outlaws were no longer welcome at her farm. If she thought this would be the end of her troubles, she was proven tragically wrong.
Read Full Article »